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Tennessee

Places We Protect

The sky displays the pinks and yellows of a sunrise.
Smoky Mountains The sun rises at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee. © The Nature Conservancy/Paul Kingsbury

With your help, The Nature Conservancy protects critical natural lands and life-giving waters in Tennessee.

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Tennessee Preserves—OPEN

Places We Protect

Clear Creek Preserve

This 73-acre preserve encompasses breathtaking sandstone cliffs that make it a popular destination for sport climbing.

Places We Protect

Orchard Bog & Quarry Bog

These mountain bogs are globally rare wetland habitats known more commonly in northern climates.

Places We Protect

Schoolyard Springs

This preserve harbors a rare and unusual example of wetlands that once covered much of Shady Valley.

Places We Protect

Stone Preserve

Known for its massive sandstone boulders, Stone Preserve is ideal for "bouldering" and exploring.

Places We Protect

Taylor Hollow

*By Permission Only* Please call our office before visiting this unique and undisturbed middle Tennessee forest system.

Places We Protect

Washmorgan Hollow

Washmorgan Hollow is a 73-acre preserve featuring a rocky creek that leads to a waterfall.

Places We Protect

William B. Clark

This conservation area covers 427 acres of bottomland hardwood forest in the Wolf River floodplain.

Tennessee Preserves—CLOSED

Some of The Nature Conservancy's Tennessee nature preserves are closed to the public due to fragile habitat and/or the presence of endangered species.

  • Trees frame a valley view and clear blue sky.

    Bridgestone Nature Reserve at Chestnut Mountain

    White County (5,763-acres)/TNC is in the process of inventorying wildlife at this property that Bridgestone Corporation donated in 2018—the largest gift in TNC’s history of working in Tennessee. Learn More

  • Swift creek waters pass over a collection of rocks.

    Clifty Creek Preserve

    Roane/Morgan counties (80 acres)/ Clifty Creek cuts through a scenic, forested gorge before flowing into the Emory River. A globally endangered plant, Virginia spirea, grows along the creek's banks. Support This Work!

  • A man stands against a rock in front of a vast valley.

    Dobbs Creek & Tally Wilderness

    Pickett County/These properties, adjacent to each other, are classic examples of northern Cumberland Plateau native hardwood forest. Support This Work!

  • A view of a forest from inside of a cave.

    Hubbard's Cave

    Warren County/Hidden beneath a forest canopy, this cave contains three separate and distinct forks, including one of the most important bat hibernation sites in the world.

  • White clouds hover over a forest and field.

    John R. Dickey Birch Branch Sanctuary

    Johnson County (549 acres)/This Shady Valley preserve is surrounded by the Cherokee National Forest. TNC is restoring native warm-season grasses to attract songbirds, game birds and butterflies.

  • Green leafy trees shade a flowing stream.

    Obed River Preserve

    Morgan County (77 acres)/While the National Park Service manages this preserve as part of the Obed Wild & Scenic River corridor, TNC treats hemlock trees on the property against the woolly adelgid.

Partnership in Action

Sometimes we take the lead. Other times, we assist from the sidelines.

  • Sunrise aerial image taken near the border of Tennessee and Kentucky of land protected by The Nature Conservancy's Cumberland Forest Project.

    Cumberland Forest

    In 2019, TNC arranged the acquisition of 100,000 acres in Kentucky and Tennessee, and later added 153,000 acres in Virginia, to make one of the largest and most innovative conservation and restoration efforts pursued by TNC in the eastern U.S. Learn More

  • A mountain valley is covered in green trees.

    Doe Mountain

    TNC and the state of Tennessee secured one of the largest remaining privately owned forests in the Southern Blue Ridge. Learn More

  • in Tennessee.

    Pogue Creek State Natural Area

    TNC's involvement at Pogue Creek contributed to the eventual delisting of the Cumberland Sandwort from the federal Endangered Species Act. Learn More

  • Shady Valley is a collection of nature preserves located in eastern Tennessee.

    Shady Valley

    The Nature Conservancy works with public and private institutions, academia and local communities to conserve more than 800 acres throughout this unique Tennessee landscape. Learn More

  • Waterfalls spread across a creek.

    Walls of Jericho

    This 21,543-acre landscape conntects several natural areas that straddles the Tennessee-Alabama border. Learn More